In today’s society, diet plans and intuitive eating are becoming increasingly popular, which has led to many restaurants incorporating vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options on their menus because of the high demand. Recently there has been a significant switch from an omnivore diet to an herbivore diet, and possibly for good reason. Meat has been receiving a bad rap since vegetarianism and veganism became popular, and plants could become more valuable than ever before. Vegetarianism has grown exceptionally popular over the years due to various health benefits and ethical viewpoints, but how healthy is this new diet?
Vegetarians lack the proper nutrients omnivores consume on a daily basis; however, there are other options and sources for those who have altered their nutrition regime. The diet has been pushed towards those living with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease because vegetarianism has properties that have been linked to lowering those conditions and more. While vegetarianism has received mixed reviews due to completely cutting meat out of a diet, a lifestyle change could be remarkably beneficial. Although vegetarianism seems to be a rather new and upcoming trend in our society, the practice was incorporated into the diets of ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato, Porphyry, Plutarch, and Pythagoras for spiritual and ethical reasons.
The country of India has been familiar with abstaining from meat for centuries; linking the practice to power, status, and tradition due to the individual being born into the lifestyle; one of the main reasons behind the elimination of meat can be associated with purifying their diets of the pollution linked to consuming animals. Primarily those raised in Western cultures were not brought up to be vegetarians, thus having to make the switch themselves for possible reasons such as environmental, health, or ethical.
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“A vegetarian is someone who consumes a diet consisting mostly of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains. Some vegetarians also consume eggs and dairy products” (Marsh, 2011). There are four different types of vegetarians varying in limitations of specific food groups: a lacto-ovo-vegetarian eliminates seafood, poultry, and meat but consumes eggs and dairy; a lacto-vegetarian eliminates seafood, poultry, meat, and eggs but consumes dairy; an ovo-vegetarian eliminates seafood, poultry, meat, and dairy but consumes eggs; a vegan strictly eliminates all animal products such as seafood, poultry, meat, dairy, and eggs. The Vegetarian Resource Group directed a survey in the United States (2009) revealing approximately 3% of adults identify as vegetarian and only 1% are vegan (Marsh, 2011).
Clearly, the percentages are staggeringly low for the popularity of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, but why? Why has meat become the staple food product amongst many diets since humans learned how to hunt? Amongst a random sample of Southern Australians (2003) 78% of both men and women share the common barrier of the enjoyment of eating meat and its taste, with the unwillingness to alter one’s diet at 56%, the common misconception humans are meant to consume meat at 44%, an individual’s family consumes meat at 43%, and finally having a lack of proper knowledge regarding vegetarianism at 42% (Ruby, 2012).
Even though meat may taste good, does that necessarily mean the food is good for you and your health? A report in Lyon, France (2015) by 22 scientists from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed more than 800 studies from a sample of continents in regards to meat and cancer. Scientists observed more than a dozen different types of cancers in populations with varied diets from the past 20 years.
The IARC came to the conclusion of processed meats should be labeled as “carcinogenic to humans,” and linking the harmful effects to colon cancer. Although red meat contains certain vital nutrients is the taste worth increasing one’s chance of being diagnosed with prostate, pancreatic, or colon cancer? Research gathered by the Global Burden of Disease Project (2015) discovered there are 34,000 deaths worldwide each year associated with individuals who consume generous amounts of processed meat. Even though doctors have voiced their concerns in regards to diets heavy in meat being linked to cancer, The North American Meat Institute states, “cancer is a complex disease not caused by single foods” (“Processed meat linked to cancer,” 2015) and mentions an individual’s lifestyle and environment could be contributors.
The report from IARC identified when cooking red meat with high-temperature cooking methods such as frying or grilling, brings out the greatest amount of chemicals connected to producing cancer (“Processed meat linked to cancer” 2015). When those of us do eat meat, it can be easy to focus solely on the cheeseburger or rack of ribs in front of us instead of mourning the death of an animal, which is a rather bleak way of thinking, but sadly, it is correct. 275 million tons of meat was produced worldwide in 2007, enough for each person to have 92 pounds.
Unfortunately, 650 animals are eradicated every second each day and 56 billion animals are slaughtered worldwide each year, yet livestock is eight times greater than the size of the human population (Henning, 2011). Humans are not the only mammals to experience fear, stress, and pain; surprisingly enough animals experience those feelings too. When pigs, chickens, cows, turkeys, and sheep are being slaughtered, fear and pain are rushing through their bodies; livestock have feelings as well as household pets which are treated on a completely different set of principles with affection and dignity.
Animals are mistreated on a daily basis because most humans have been taught slaughtering is a way of life and meat is an essential part of our diets, but are humans truly designed to be omnivores? A trained physician from Stanford University, Dr. Milton R. Mills, proved the human anatomy has evolved over the years to support a meatless lifestyle. Unlike carnivores, humans lack the elongated, sharp teeth and large mouths to support tough meat; modern teeth are smooth and short for consuming fibrous diets. Humans must have extensive intestines to permit slower digestion of plant products whereas carnivores have stunted intestines because Vitamin A detoxifies quicker in a meat-based diet. The research discovered reveals humans are allowed to eliminate meat based on their anatomy; however, this does not mean meat is unable to be consumed (Gray, 2014).
Throughout developing and developed nations, livestock no longer lead carefree lives, animals are being raised under intensive methods described by the industry as “concentrated feeding operations” or CAFO. Animals are bred in modernized factory farms confined to limited amounts of space and fed large quantities of high protein foods such as soy or corn to gain weight at an above normal speed. Those who do not take to the lifestyle well are removed from their enclosed captivities by low-skilled workers. “In CAFOs cattle are often crammed into feedlots shoulder to shoulder knee deep in their own excrement, pigs are kept in confined sow crates with little room to move, and chickens are frequently kept in poorly ventilated sheds with less than a sheet of paper’s worth of space in their overcrowded cages” (Henning, 2011).
Due to the poor environments in CAFOs, producers administer antibiotics to their flocks and herds to eliminate the spread of harmful diseases amongst other animals (Henning, 2011). Luckily there is an alternative to harming innocent animals and destroying the chemical equilibrium in lakes, which is adopting a vegetarian lifestyle. A meatless diet decreases climate change, insecticide and land usage, species loss, and pollution. When farmers grow vegetables, legumes, and grasses the lowest amount of carbon is released, which is far different from the 18 to 50 percent of global warming emissions due to the production of meat. Vegetarianism not only benefits the environment but the lifestyle impacts one’s personal health by eliminating processed meat and becoming aware of the nutrients food contains. (Beeverland, 2014).
Vegetarians have found to be at lower risk for obesity, hypertension, colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, constipation, and kidney stones. Even though the body mass index of a vegetarian tends to be lower than one of an omnivore, their overall health is in much better shape. There have been links associating vegetarians with an increase in longevity compared to those consuming meat regularly. Vegetarians decrease their intake of animal protein, saturated fats, red meat, and cholesterol by increasing amounts of fiber and antioxidants through fruits, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables.
While vegetarians may lack certain health benefits found in meats, poultry, and seafood it is possible to obtain those nutrients elsewhere while maintaining a wholesome lifestyle (Marsh, 2011). A few of the nutrients vegetarians must acquire from supplements or their diet are protein, iron, and vitamin B12. Individuals who are conscientious of what nutrients are in their foods can easily lead a healthy lifestyle without the harmful side effects from meat. Although omnivores have an easier access to certain nutrients through the consumption of meat, this does not mean one should dismiss the lifestyle because with thorough planning this diet is obtainable (March, 2011). Surprisingly, vegetarians usually acquire more than enough protein throughout their diet when consuming nuts, vegetables, soy products, grains, and legumes.
Iron may be a little more difficult to obtain without meat because there are two types located in food: nonheme, found in plant and animal foods, and heme, strictly found in animal foods. Vegetarian diets would be without heme, but most individuals contain more iron than mixed diets due to cereals and whole grain products. Vegetarians are not able to easily obtain vitamin B12 naturally in their diets as omnivores can because the vitamin is found primarily in animal products. Sea vegetables, miso, and mushrooms contain low amounts of vitamin B12, but these alone are not enough to account for the deficiency most vegetarians face and are recommended to consume supplements or fortified foods, especially those who are pregnant (Marsh, 2011).
My diet typically consists of an assortment of fruits, grains, and vegetables; however, animal products are incorporated as well. I have never been overly thrilled with meat and at times choose not to consume the product because the thought of eating an animal has bothered me, but I attempt to not focus on that aspect, which I believe is what many omnivores do as well. Meat has been a staple in many households and some individuals are not aware of the risks associated with consuming the carcinogenic food, which is why vegetarian and plant-based diets should be encouraged throughout the world because there is an ample amount of benefits to not only the individual, but the environment, and the livestock due to a lifestyle change.
References
- Mayo Clinic – Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition
- Healthline – A Vegetarian Diet for Weight Loss
- National Center for Biotechnology Information – Vegetarian diets and the risk of diabetes
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine – Plant-Based Diets
- NHS (National Health Service) – The vegan diet
- PubMed – Dietary intake and nutritional status of vegetarian and omnivorous preschool children and their mothers in Taiwan
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – Healthy Eating Plate
